1. Field
Apparatuses and methods according to exemplary embodiments relate to a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatuses and methods used to diagnose various diseases using a magnetic resonance image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a medical imaging device is a device that acquires information of a patient to provide an image. Examples of the medical imaging device include an ultrasonic diagnostic device, an X-ray tomography device, a magnetic resonance imaging device, and a medical diagnostic device. The magnetic resonance imaging device is an important tool in providing a diagnosis since image capturing conditions are relatively easy, contrast in soft tissue is excellent, and various diagnostic information images can be provided.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon to occur in hydrogen atomic nuclei in the human body by using a magnetic field harmless to the human body and a radio wave, which is non-ionizing radiation, to obtain density and physicochemical properties of the atomic nuclei.
Specifically, the magnetic resonance imaging device is an image diagnostic device that supplies a uniform frequency and energy to atomic nuclei in a state in which a uniform magnetic field is applied to the atomic nuclei and converts energy emitted from the atomic nuclei into a signal to diagnose the interior of the human body.
A proton of each atomic nucleus has spin angular momentum and a magnetic dipole. When a magnetic field is applied to atomic nuclei, therefore, the atomic nuclei are arranged in a direction of the magnetic field and perform precession about the direction of the magnetic field. Such precession enables images of the human body to be acquired through a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon.
However, each atom of fat and each atom of water have different precession speeds. For example, when magnetic resonance images are obtained with respect to multiple slices, a plurality of scanning operations may be required, or overlap between the respective magnetic resonance images may occur.